Improvement in washing-machines



M. K; MORRIS..`

impro-vementA iinA -Wa-svhin'g'l Machines.

No.116,2'09i Parentedlunezonan.

"Z5 d I ,inventar rage@ UNITED STATES PATENT CJEEIcE.

y MATTHIAS K. MORRIS, OF LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY.

IMPROVEMENT IN WASHING-MACHINES.

Specification forming part of'Letters Patent No. 116,209, dated June 20,1871.

To all whom it may concern.-

Beitknown that I, MATTHIAS K. MoERIs, of Louisville, in the county ofJefferson and in the State of Kentucky, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Washing-Machines; and do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description therethrough the same;and it consists, principally,

in the employment of a filter Within or in connection with aclothes-boiler, substantially as and for the purpose hereinafterspecified. It further consists in the peculiar construction of theboiler and filter, substantially as and for the purpose hereinafter setforth. It iinally consists in the construction and relative arrangementof the reservoir for containing the clothing to be operated upon, and ofthe discharge-tube for water from the boiler, substantially as and forthe purpose hereinafter shown.

In the annexed drawing, A represents the boiler, constructed,preferably, in a cylindrical form, and provided with a central verticalflue, B, open at both ends. Extending horizontally across the interiorof the boiler, atapoint about one-third the distance from its upper end,is a reticulated diaphragm, G, which forms a support for, and upon whichis placed, asufcient quantity of charcoal, gravel, or other filteringmaterial, D, to iill the space between said diaphragm and the upper endof said boiler about one-halt` full. Between the diaphragm C and thefiltering material D, and upon the upper side ofthe latter, are placedlayers of suitable textile fabric, d and d', respectively, and above thelatter is placed a second perforated diaphragm, E, whicl1,while closelyfitted to the interior of the boiler, is not connected therewith, butmay be removed as occasion requires. The cover F, also made removable,is provided with two or more rods, f, which extend vertically downwardover, and have their lower ends bearing upon, said upper diaphragm, so

as to hold the same firmly in vertical position and prevent accidentaldisplacement by the action of the water. The reservoir Gr for containingsoiled clothing, constructed of any suitable forln or material, isplaced at or above the upper end of the boiler, and connected with thespace H, at the lower end of the saine, by means of apipe, I, which,extending downward from the bottom of said reservoir, enters said spacenear its upper end, and at the side of said boiler. A perforated falsebottom, G', is placed within said reservoir, a short distance above itsreal bottom, for the purpose of form-V Iin g a water-space between theQlothin g and the upper end of the pipe I, so as to prevent obstructionofthe same. Extending upward from the top o f the boiler, outward, andthen downward directly over the center of the clothesreservoir, is apipe, K, having upon its outer end a iiaring nozzle, L, whichcorresponds in size to the interior of said reservoir, and iits looselywithin its upper end. The end of said nozzle is plane and reticulated,so that water passing downward through the same would be divided intoalarge number of small jets, which would pass vertically downward uponthe' clothes within the reservoir.

The device is now complete, and is operated as follows: The boiler isilled to or immediatelyabove the upper end of the filter with water, andheat applied thereto, so as to cause said water to boil. If, now, thereservoir be partly filled with soiled clothing, and the same packedaroundor over the false bottom, so as to prevent the free passage ofwater upward through the same, the accumulating pressure of steam withinthe boiler will soon force such water as remains above the. filterupward through the pipe K, and upon the upper side of said clothing,from whence and through which, by the force of gravity, it will descendinto the space H, and force a corresponding portion of the contents ofsaid space upwardthrough said lter.

As the production of steam will not be uniform, but, rather,intermittent, the operation above described will be followed by aninterval of inaction, during which sufficient pressure of steam isaccumulating to again force water over and upon the clothes, the seasonsof activity and quiet thus alternating.

.In its passage downward through the clothing the water removes andtakes up a portion of the dirt contained therein, which dirt is in turnremoved from said Water during its passage upward through the lter, so`Jthat, as nothing but pure water is thrown upon said clothes, they aresoon thoroughly cleansed and require no after rinsing.

It may prove advantageous to place an ordinary clack-valve, ac, openinginward within the horizontal portion of the pipe I, so as to entirelyprevent the upward passage of water through said pipe, and also toextend the pipe K downward to or near the diaphragm E, so that its lowerend may at all times be immersed in water, and a smaller quantity of thelatter required. A cock, L', placed at or near the lower end of theboiler, permits the foul water and sediment accumulating at that pointto be drawn o' when desired.

The especial advantages possessed by this device are, that by its usesuitable quantities of clean boiling water may be continually thrownupon the upper side of the clothes be ing operated upon and the samecleansed in much less time than would be possible were said water notpuried after having leached through said clothes, and before beingreturned to the upper side of the same.

Having thus fully set forth the nature and merits of my invention, whatI claim as new is- 1. In a clothes-boiler in which water is forced orconveyed toor upon the upper side of the clothing being operated upon, afilter for cleansing said water as it leaves said clothing and before itis again returned to the upper side of the same, substantially as andfor the purpose specified.

2. The boiler A, provided with the tube B,

the fixed and removable diaphragms C and E,

MATTHIAS K. MORRIS. Witnesses:

J erm BAILEY, J. G. BLACK.

